Posts Tagged ‘Is The Future’

Multiple events occurred during the last portion of Across America 2013 mission of Solar Impulse (I’d also like to share the video clip on “Across Americaa 2013: Best From San Francisco to Washington”, below :

Members of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO, Metro New York Chapter) visited Solar Impulse and saw with their own eyes the outcome of combining technological innovation with pioneering spirit. The YPO and Solar Impulse share the vision and belief that education is central to creating better business in the future and they have conveyed this vision to 20,000 business leaders across the globe. This 7-year endeavor of calculations, analysis, and engineering excellence has successfully completed the Across America mission from San Francisco to New York City, with final destination at JFK International Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013, enabling Andre and Bertrand to share their message to inspire people to embrace the pioneer within them in their daily lives. Upon answering one of the questions concerning stress for pilots’ family during this mission (such as the partially damaged wing during flight to New York), Andre’s wife Yasemin commented, “even though these are stressful moments, I felt confident as I know that such situations have been extensively trained for and the airplane has proven time after time that it is reliable. A successful landing is of course a great reward for this nervousness.”

Bayer Material Science organized an event on Friday, July 12, 2013, presenting chemistry to students from disadvantaged school children from the Bronx. In its mission “Science For A Better Life”, the chemical grant and Solar Impulse partner demonstrate how important research and innovation are in finding sustainable solutions for the future. Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience, gave the opening remarks for the event “Solar Impulse captures the core values of our company in one magnificent package. It ties in perfectly with our philosophy of ‘Science For A Better Life,’ while also serving as a rigorous test of how our materials and technologies perform in challenging conditions.” “The project is about pioneering spirit, about adventure, about thinking outside the box,” explained Bertrand to the young audience. “It’s not easy being a pioneer. To get where we are today, we had to fail many times. But every time you fail, you’re one step closer to succeeding.” “In retrospect, it’s always nice to think about how we got here. The project is a lot about inspiration and a direct result of how we’ve been inspired by others before us. We hope this will encourage you to do great things for the future of our society,” concluded André to the applauding audience.

The Swiss Consulate organized an event for employees, friend, and families on Saturday, July 13, 2013. “Seeing the airplane land at JFK was a very emotional and historic moment. I can compare it to when the Wright brother flew over the Statue of Liberty and landed in New York,” said François Barras, Consul General of Switzerland in New York. “Switzerland, a country poor in resources, owes its survival to its ingenuity. Today, thanks to André and Bertrand, we can showcase Switzerland’s innovative spirit.” concluded François. Switzerland was ranked the world’s #1 most innovative country this year (Global Innovation Index 2013).“One hundred and fifty years ago Switzerland was a poor country with no resources. Today it’s at the top of the ranks,” explained Bertrand. “What changed is the mindset. People had to look for new ways to communicate with the outside world by being inventive: building bridges and tunnels. Today, Solar Impulse shows that same shift in mindset, the perfect demonstration of what can be done when you’re not afraid to try”. “Don’t believe that you’ll fly in solar airplanes in 5 years as we’re currently at the same point as the Wright Brothers in 1915. But it’s a step ahead and proof about what can be done,” said André as he described the beginning of the project back in 2003. “We made it to New York City despite the challenges and we can now say that the mission was a success. However, that’s not what will remain impressed in our minds; it’s the incredible welcome we’ve had across the country and the amazing capability people have to be excited about something. It was an extremely fulfilling experience,” concluded André as he thanked everybody, including JFK International airport for accepting Solar Impulse.

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, a Solar Impulse Official Partner and sole insurance provider, organized a wonderful lunch event at Hangar 19 today, July 15, 2013. “So many people are prisoners of old patterns of thinking, using old solutions for new challenges. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions is proving its pioneering spirit by providing full coverage to Solar Impulse – a prototype experimental solar aircraft project. It took them 24 hours to accept the partnership and no more than 2 months to sign the contract,” said Bertrand Piccard.

We appreciate Bertrand and Andre’s perseverance, ability to think outside of the box, and their desire to inspire many to come up with new solutions for our changing world. Thank you Solar Impulse Team for bringing us this beautiful plane powered by Sunshine and igniting the imagination of the world!

Updates on our Solar-FIT For Sunshine State petition: 163 signatures strong. We need more! Please help us to spread more sunshine by signing this petition and sharing it with others. It is our shared responsibility to move toward the renewable energy age and Sunshine is the cleanest, healthiest, and least war-prone way to go!
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Thanks to Mayor of Lancaster of CA, Rex Parris brought forth the voice of reason and wisdom. Starting his talk with, “…there is an asteroid coming, aiming at us..” he reminded us that the renewable energy issue should not be a political issue, for half of the country is lost if this issue is placed in the political domain. For the safety and security of our future and future generations, we need to find the solution through the #grass root movement. It is through this Republican mayor from a small city of California who has enabled Lancaster to become “The #solar capital of the universe.” Talk about leadership and initiative! The #California City Council of Lancaster unanimously approved changes to the city’s zoning code that require housing developers to install solar for all of their future new homes, as stated in our March 31, 2013 post of Sun Is The Future. In his down to earth demeanor, Mayor Parris spoke with earnestness that reminds us the need to be in touch and collaborate with our local #elected officials. Allow me to present to you, Mayor Rex Parris of Lancaster, CA:

May we all be as fortunate as residents of Lancaster, CA. You can find out if this were the case by talking to your mayor!

~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

any of your comments and suggestions will be welcomed publicly in comments section below or privately via sunisthefuture@gmail.com

As I’ve promised you, let’s take a look at the largest solar PV project, Agua Caliente Solar Project, currently under construction in Yuma County, AZ, having achieved a peak generating capacity of 250 MW connected to the electrical grid and will have a generating capacity of 397 MW (DC) or the equivalent of 310-320- MW (AC) when completed.

Recalling from our previous post of October 17, 2012, there was an issue/discrepancy between the maximum generating capacity listed in wikipedia (397 MW in wikipedia vs. many other sources’ 290 MW). After further digging/investigation, I’ve discovered two things:

The original nameplate for the entire plant was 290MW (AC), but Christian said that a 12th block is in the engineering stage and should start early construction soon.

The additional set of arrays would add another 20–30MW (AC), bringing the total to 310–320MW (AC), or about 397MW (DC) after conversion – an amount estimated

to require in the neighborhood of 5.2 million PV panels.

2. Upon careful overview of multiple journals/articles, I’ve come to realize that the industry as a whole needs a much more consistent standard (AC or DC) for basis of comparison. Case in point, above, different power plants may provide information/data in AC or DC (AC and DC data may differ approximately 15%), presenting much confusion for the consumers and readers alike. At this point, I’d like to share an article that would help to shed more light on this subject: AC-DC conundrum: Latest PV power-plant ratings follies put focus on reporting inconsistency (update). Please do not get too alarmed by this, for this, to me, is part of the growing pain;a sign that the solar industry is still young enough that it needs to work out some of its kinks;a sign indicating that solar industry still has much room to grow. It simply needs a unified voice. So perhaps in future Solar Power (Generation, International, etc.) conventions/conferences, there should be one more topic added to the list of discussions: AC or DC, That Is The Question ?!

Solar PV cells convert sunlight into electricity and many solar PV stations have been built over the years. For a quick recap of “What Is Solar Cell” at Sun Is The Future, take a look at these links below:

What Is Solar Cell (7)Please allow me to share with you some of the top photovoltaic power stations that are larger than 25 MW in current net capacity. These stations have progressively increased in size over the past decade. At this very moment, October of 2012, the largest three individual photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the world are Agua Caliente Solar Project (Arizona of USA, 247 MW connected and to increase to 397 MW when completed), Charanka Solar Park (India, 214 MW connected and to increase to 500 MW when completed), Golmud Solar Park (China, 200 MW connected with annual production of 317 GWh and completed in October, 2011). But keep in mind that solar industry is very dynamic and therefore these order may be in flux. Here at Sun Is The Future, we will keep you informed of these fluctuations. Please see the chart below, as of October, 2012: *Note: I need to check on Agua Caliente’s maximum generating capacity because many sources indicated 290 MW whereas Wikipeida indicated 397 MW. I will get back to you on this after further investigation.

I’ve reserved this piece for a special and later spot than other SPI videos because it deserves some special attentions. The two speakers below spoke with clarity and gusto, summarizing the path of past and present solar energy industry, then call for action for the future direction in a unified voice for solar industry.

This is a video recording of the introduction speeches by Julia Hamm (President and CEO of SEPA, Solar Electric Power Association) and Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA, Solar Energy Industry Association) on the first day of Solar Power International SPI2012 on September 10, 2012, at Orange County Convention Center of Orlando, FL. As the President of SEIA, Rhone Resch, indicated the solar industry has more than doubled during 2011 and is the fastest growing industry in USA, installing more than 1.8 gigawatt last year. Julia Hamm, President of SEPA, also announced that our utility has interconnected more than 62,000 PV systems in 2011 and quite possibly even more in 2012.

One of three possible future scenarios (<2%, 5-10%, 30%) presented by President of SEPA Julia Hamm, where the solar energy would reach its true potential, providing 30% of nation’s electricity needs, involves four main driving forces: social dynamics, political issues, technological issues, and economic issues. President Hamm clearly presented and summarized why we need a widespread comprehensive support and partnership culture for solar energy, therefore we need future policy direction to be supportive of solar energy. Julia Hamm ended her portion of the speech reminding us of former President Clinton’s quote, “The future is not an inheritance. It is an opportunity and an obligation.”

President of SEIA, Rhone Resch, opened his speech with the classic quote in A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times;it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity;it was the season of Light,it was the season of Darkness;it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us“. This truly reflects the position of our current solar industry. There has been tremendous growth both in residential and utility solar installations in the past year and expectation of 3.2 gigawatts of solar installations in USA during 2012. But at the same time, solar energy/CLEAN energy is under attacks by SuperPacthere;there is also attacks on CLEAN energy tax credits (bills introduced to eliminate investment tax credits for renewable energy); CO RPS is under threat; Net Metering is also under challenge in CA. A unified voice is needed, especially in key swing states. Rhone Resch is calling for : Let’s not let solar industry go down the path of the dark days of solar industry of the late 1980’s. Let’s make sure that all members in the industry are legitimate and not there just for a quick buck. Working together with the utility companies, there will be a greater certainty that the solar industry will complete its journey toward its true potential of providing nation’s 30% power needs. Then we should lead our nation down the path toward the best of times (rather than the worst of times).

I am tickled to find out about Australia’s biggest solar farm being officially connected during the week of our visit in Australia! This 10 megawatt Greenough River Solar Farm, 50 km southeast of Geraldton, in Western Australia is a joint project of First Solar, Inc., GE Energy Financial Services and Western Australian state-owned power utility Verve Energy, and is expected to generate enough solar energy to power 3,000 homes and eliminating 20,000 tons of greenhouse gases annually. The plant consists of 150,000 First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules solar PV panels spread over 198 acres (or over 80 hectares).

Verve Energy Chief Executive Officer Jason Waters said in a release, “As the largest photovoltaic solar plant in operation in Australia, the Greenough River Solar Farm demonstrates that renewable technologies can contribute to meeting Australia’s future energy needs on a sustainable, cost-competitive basis…This is a positive first step in validating the bright future that large-scale solar represents in Australia.” He also commented that Verve Energy and GE are evaluating the possibility of a plant expansion up to 40 megawatts to satisfy growing demand for renewable energy.

With the highest average solar radiation per square meter of any continent in the world (according to Australian government), Australia aims to generate at least 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. About 858,000 homes in Australia currently have solar PV panels, accounting for a total installed capacity of almost 2 gagawatts (based on data from Australian Clean Energy Regulator), translating into approximately 10% of the rooftop with solar installations. Growth in the amount of installed PV capacity in Australia has been dramatic with a 10-fold increase between 2009 and 2011. Feed-In-Tariffs and mandatory renewable energy targets designed to assist renewable energy commercialisation in Australia have largely been responsible for the rapid increase. Ray Willis, the chief adviser to the Sustainable Energy Association (an industry lobby group) expects the one millionth home to be with rooftop solar installation by end of June of 2013, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

When I first heard about the Australian Solar Dawn Project coming to a halt, in the limbo stage, I was both shocked and disappointed. Upon further investigation, I have a better grasp of the situation and please allow me to share some of these details with you.

For some background information on the Australian Solar Dawn Project: the originally proposed 250 megawatt Solar Dawn power plant project was the preferred solar thermal power project of the Australian Government’s Solar Flagships Program. It was to be built near Chinchilla in South West Queensland to provide clean and safe energy, using Australia’s abundant solar resource to contribute to a sustainable solar industry in Australia, by offering an international showcase for utility scale, standalone CLFR (Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector) technology power project. In the process of positioning Australia as a global leader in utility-scale solar thermal power generation, Solar Dawn Project would provide significant local employment and training opportunities and also involve long-term research collaboration with the University of Queensland. This project would have consisted of approximately 450 hectares of infrastructure including a ‘solar field’ containing the mirrors and steam boiler tubes and a ‘power block’ with the steam turbine generators and ancillary equipment. Originally, it was expected that the proposed project would have commenced operation in early 2015 following a three-year construction time frame. Below, is a video on AREVA’s Solar Thermal Technology, Solar CLFR (Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector) solar steam generators producing super-heated, high-pressured steam directly from the sun. The steam can then be used to spin an electricity-producing turbine:

But my friends, when one lives in an extremely dynamic time and dynamic industry (solar), there may be fluctuations and changing factors entering on scene: Firstly, the Australian Carbon Tax/Price ( $23 AUD per tonne of emitted CO2 on selected fossil fuels consumed by industrial emitters only) entered the scene on July 1st of 2012. This new development renders it unnecessary for solar energy to have government subsidies by the shear fact that the carbon tax/price has leveled the playing field for all energy forms (the original argument to have solar subsidies was due to uneven playing fields resulting from external factor, such as the cost of environmental cleanup, not being considered) . Secondly, the fact that solar PV panel price has been declining relentlessly in recent years;a critical decision in any business or policy decision is to minimize the cost of production. Energy/electricity production via solar PV is now much lower than the cost of energy/electricity production via solar thermal using CLFR. (At this point, please allow me to clarify: solar thermal directly producing hot water is at a cost lower than that of solar PV producing hot water, but solar thermal converting into electricity is at a cost higher than the cost of solar PV producing electricity). Thirdly, the Solar Dawn was unable to negotiate a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Queensland government-owned electricity utility Ergon Power to meet the June 30 deadline, and so could not attract bank finance. The question I pose here is how was the decision arrived by Ergon Power? If it were purely due to minimizing cost, the current lower cost of solar PV does weaken solar thermal’s position;but in our changing world, the cost of energy production in any form may still be subject to change, depending on how much R & D support there will be ( electricity produced from solar thermal via CLFR may cost more than solar PV now, but this may not hold true in the future) . If Ergon Power’s unwillingness to negotiate a PPA were due to concern/unfamiliarity with large scale solar thermal, then will it be possible for Solar Dawn to modify its plan into series of smaller scale solar thermal projects? In the final analysis, in order to assure the success of any energy/power business, it is necessary to have a purchaser/client once the power is produced.

Now, let’s look at the other side of the coin. I believe that I am a rational solar advocate. It is important to keep the cost in mind, but also make the argument for the need of more favorable playing field for solar. Personally, of many many reasons in favor of solar, the two most critical reasons for me are: 1. the speed at which our Arctic Ice is melting 2. potential wars among nations fighting over the oil reserves. Both of these will dramatically impact the lives of countless human beings. One of my detractors commented, “my parents and I have all lived through wars, so what….” I contend that we are living in a very different time from previous generations (WWI or WWII). It is quite possible that any future large-scale war will cost the lives of billions of earthlings and make over half of our planet uninhabitable for decades. So, my questions here are: How quickly is our Arctic Ice melting? How likely are we going to be at large scale war? By providing more favorable playing field for solar/renewables through policies/incentives, will these efforts avert my two main concerns ? Again, from the bottom of my heart, I have to thank Hermann Scheer of Germany for having made the most moral and ethical decision decades ago in having convinced the German Parliament to establish the equivalent of Feed-In-Tariff and German Renewable Energy Act. He made an ethical decision, although not necessarily an economic one at the time…decades later, now people of Germany have benefited from that decision economically and renewably. Germany is a leader in Renewable Energy world/industry and has an extremely low unemployment rate compared to other developed nations (Please refer to European Commission Eurostat’s Unemployment Statistics)

Solar Dawn project director Anthony Wiseman said discussions would continue with the Queensland government, and with ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency). “It’s important to understand that we have not ceased work on project,” he said. He also commented that while the project delay represented a set-back, the consortium made up of AREVA Solar and Wind Prospect, University of Queensland, after CS Energy pulled out, will pursue discussions with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Queensland Government to move Solar Dawn forward based on the project’s advanced status and the strong economic and environmental benefits it offers to the state and the country. The Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) said that it is deeply disappointed with the Queensland Government’s decision to axe funding to the project, as it will put Australia at the forefront of the global solar thermal industry. Here, at Sun Is The Future, we wish Director Wiseman the best in coming up with a modified plan that will be able to attract an agreeable purchaser. Then pursue the negotiation with Queensland government and ARENA. We have learned that time and time again, people in solar industry tend to have that extra ounce of optimistic energy, supplied by the magical dust from the Sun….

~have a variation of bright and sunny day~

Any of your comments or suggestions for any of the above questions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com

During our quest for more on solar energy in 2012, on October 6, we happened to be in Melbourne, Australia. On the Saturday morning, we strolled through the lovely Royal Botanic Garden of Melbourne, taking in as much of the sight, scent, and sound of its beauty, downloading into our memory bank. Suddenly, we came upon this group of boisterous young lads, obviously in blond wigs and black robes, serenading random joggers/walkers passing their way. At some point in time, one of their members pointed toward us and started to sing at us, literally, sing at us with these refrains:

You’re the voice, try and understand it
Make the noise and make it clear, oh, woah
We’re not gonna sit in silence
We’re not gonna live with fear, oh, woah

After I’ve posted the video clip on sunisthefuture Youtube Channel, I found out this is actually a group of John Farnham Brigades/Impersonators singing out the refrain of “You’re The Voice”. So, please allow me to share this very random but sunny encounter of John Farnham’s Brigades’ “You’re The Voice” in Royal Botanic Garden of Melbourne, Australia, below:

John Farhnahm turned out to be a famous Australian singer who had popularized the song “You’re The Voice“. Once I’ve looked over its lyrics, I am amazed at how much it resonates with our time and what Sun Is The Future is trying to do…. aren’t we all someone’s daughter or son, living at a transitional time in history, trying not to sit in silence but to spread/share the message of hope and optimism of solar energy, the solution that will hopefully be able to free us from wars among nations…. lyrics of “You’re The Voice”, below:

We have the chance to turn the pages over We can write what we want to write We gotta make ends meet, before we get much older

We’re all someone’s daughter We’re all someone’s son How long can we look at each other Down the barrel of a gun?

You’re the voice, try and understand itMake the noise and make it clear, oh, woahWe’re not gonna sit in silenceWe’re not gonna live with fear, oh, woah

This time, we know we all can stand togetherWith the power to be powerfulBelieving we can make it better

Ooh, we’re all someone’s daughterWe’re all someone’s son, ohGive a look at each otherDown the barrel of a gun

You’re the voice, try and understand itMake the noise and make it clear, oh, woahWe’re not gonna sit in silence

But right now, I am so excited about Tesla’s Supercharger that I’ve got to share this pieces of news/clip I’ve just received with you! Apparently, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012, the U.S. auto maker Tesla (specializing in electric cars), just opened a large network of service stations that provides free charges from the sun for their electric cars. The company Tesla Motors unveiled six stations called Supercharger (west) where it is based and will open more in high traffic corridors throughout continental USA. Tesla also indicated that Supercharging stations will be installed in Europe and Asia during second half of 2013, aiming to have more than 100 such stations in operation by 2015 and covering all of USA and lower part of Canada within 4-5 years. Take a look at this clip, below:
“The Tesla Supercharger network is a game changer for electric vehicles, offering long distance travel with a comfort level equivalent to that of gasoline cars in practical terms,” said Tesla CEO, Elon Musk. “We are giving the (auto) Model S’s ability to travel almost anywhere for free with pure sunlight.” The electricity used by stations Supercharger is generated by solar systems designed for more power to be used by cars, the company said. The Supercharger is able to charge to about 100 kW (perhaps even up to 120 kW in the future, translating to long distance driving of up to about 3 hours and stop to recharge for 30 minutes and be ready to go again). Right now, one can drive almost any where using free power from the sun in California. Soon, the Supercharging stations will also become available to a location near you! Supercharging station will actually be able to produce more energy than it uses, therefore, be able to put excess energy into local power grid for general use.

The company, founded by Musk, co-founder of PayPal and SpaceX, in 2003, has a factory in Fremont, in northern California. Tesla sports car sold in more than $ 100,000 and launched its Model S at an initial price of USD 49 900. Without an internal combustion engine or transmission tunnel, the Model S has more cargo space than any other sedan, and includes a second trunk under the hood. This car reaches 100 mph in just 4.4 seconds, and includes an in-dash touch screen, Internet access, allowing listening to the radio and getting round navigation instructions from the web.

This is fantastic news! I will look forward to all future electric cars being able to run on free power/fuel from the sun and Supercharger possibly even supply some more energy for our power grid. The future is looking brighter all the time!